Gwangju City Council Member Kim Nayoon Calls for Underground Construction of Urban Railway Line 2 at Cheomdan Bridge Section

"Citizens' Concerns Grow Over Traffic Congestion and Safety"

Nayun Kim, Gwangju City Council member.

A claim has been raised that the only above-ground section of Gwangju Metro Line 2, the Cheomdan Bridge segment, should be changed to an underground route.

On the 31st, during the 331st 1st temporary session of the Gwangju City Council, Councilor Kim Nayoon (Democratic Party, Buk-gu District 6) stated in a five-minute speech, "The section of Metro Line 2 passing through Cheomdan Bridge is designed for the metro to run on the upper part of the bridge together with vehicles," and added, "This could cause changes in the traffic system, leading to inconvenience in the surrounding area and raising concerns about the safety of the bridge."

Kim pointed out, "Since a concrete protective wall is planned to be installed next to the railway on Cheomdan Bridge, the surrounding traffic system will need to be changed," and added, "Such a detour for a short distance will cause traffic congestion and inconvenience for citizens."

Map of traffic for the Cheomdan Bridge urban railway. Provided by Councilor Kim Nayoon

She further stated, "During the construction of Metro Line 2, Gwangju City also changed the design of Gwangshin Bridge, which was originally an above-ground section, to an underground route due to safety concerns related to the aging bridge," and argued, "Cheomdan Bridge, the only above-ground section left due to budget issues, has also been aging since its completion in 1997, so having vehicles and the metro share the upper part of the bridge is not desirable."

She continued, "If, contrary to the original design, the metro runs on the upper part of Cheomdan Bridge, the increased load will affect the bridge," and added, "Once the development of Cheomdan District 3 is completed, vehicle traffic will surge, increasing citizens' safety concerns."

Kim urged, "If construction begins while ignoring citizens' inconvenience and anxiety for budgetary reasons, the damage will be passed on to future generations," and called on Gwangju City to "not disregard the voices of citizens and to actively come up with countermeasures."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.